Studios that helped to bring Avengers: Infinity War, Paddington and the latest Star Wars films to the big screen will showcase exciting career opportunities to young people in the region this autumn.

Thanks to a new initiative at Norwich University of the Arts, Key Stage 3 and 4 students can attend five different Access Visual Effects (VFX) events.

Each one aims to inspire the next generation of talent in VFX, encourage diversity in the UK’s VFX industry, and emphasise opportunities available for study and work in East Anglia.

HitFilm effects and editing software workshops run by the post production software specialist FXhome will show students how to create their own visual effects, including Avengers-themed thruster and shield effects. Students will get to keep the software they are shown how to use.

It is part of a nationwide programme of events, following Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Paul Franklin (Interstellar, Inception, and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy) receiving an honorary doctorate from NUA at this summer’s graduation ceremony.

The culmination of the month of activities will be a VFX Careers Hub open to all schools and colleges on October 19 at NUA’s St Andrew’s House.

Companies like The Mill, Framestore and DNEG will show work from well-known films and give careers advice and tips to young people and teachers. There will also be a screening of the work produced by young people who took part in the schools workshops earlier in October.

The four school workshops earlier in the month will involve HitFilm and US superstar VFX trainer Javert Valbarr. Each location will also have a VFX professional showing effects and tips from films made in the UK.

The events are as follows:

• Thursday, October 11: Suffolk ONE, Ipswich

• Friday, October 12: College of West Anglia, Kings Lynn

• Tuesday, October 16: East Coast College, Gt Yarmouth

• Wednesday, October 17: Norwich City College

Saint John Walker, course leader at NUA and organiser of Access: VFX East, said: “Jobs in the screen industries like Visual Effects seem unattainable to young people who live away from the metropolitan centres, and sometimes they don’t even know these are options for them. We hope to fuel young people’s ambition and greater inclusion in this exciting industry.”

For information about how to get involved email: s.walker@nua.ac.uk

Saint is the author of the Core Skills of VFX Student Primer Handbook, available for free download via http://creativeskillset.org/search?q=VFX+Core+Skills+Student+Primer